Tunneling-machine.



J. C. FRENCH.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED m3. 14. 1916.

1 1 925 a Patented J an. 2, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET l.

J. C. FRENCH.

TUNNELING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 5.14. I916.

Patented Jan.2,1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2 11C. FRENCH. TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED IE8. 14,1916.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- J. C. FRENCH.

TUNNEL'ING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB I 14' 1%[6- 19199250 Patented Jan. 2,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

50 I partly outside of the tunnel. Fig. 2 is a plan JAMES C. FRENCH, 0F KENOSHA,

WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK C. AUSTIN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TUNNELING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, i191? Application filed February 14, 1916. Serial No. 78,116.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES C. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Kenosha, Kenosha county, lVisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in TunnelingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to excavators for making tunnels, and more particularly to tunneling machines in which the body is provided with a rotary boring head at the forward end thereof, whereby the entire machine may be driven forward into the ground to form the tunnel, said body having a traction device to propel the excavator forward within the tunnel, during the boring operation, thus making it necessary to provide means for preventing the rotation of .the boring head from twisting the machine over to one side, as the result of the torque, as well as for supporting the machine against tipping over sidew'ise while traveling outside of the surface of the ground.

Generally stated, the object of my inven tion is to provide a machine of this kind having wheels which will engage the surface of the ground while the machine is traveling from one place to another, before entering the tunnel, and which can then be raised into position to engage the inner surface of the tunnel, after the tunneling operation is started, whereby these wheels may be em ployed for holding the machine upright both within and outside of the tunnel.

Another object is to provide an automatic bucket cleaner for extracting the dirt from the buckets of the rotary boring head by which the tunnel is made.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiency and desirability of a tunneling machine of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists 'in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tunneling machine embodying the rinciples of my invention, showing the said machine partly inside and of the said machine, showin the same ent1rely withm the tunnel. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine as shown in Fig. l, the front wheels being omitted. Fig. 4 1s a rear elevation of the said machine as shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail or fragmentary sectional view of the rotary boring head, showing the automatic cleaner by which the dirt is dislodged or extracted from the buckets at the desired point of discharge, so that the dirt will be sure to fall upon the conveyer by which the borings from the breast of the tunnel are transferred to the rear end of the machine and so discharged into a dump car or other receptacle by which the excavated dirt is removed from the tunnel. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 66 in Fig. 5.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a suitable body-frame A mounted on a centrally located caterpillar or other traction device B, and having a rotary boring head C, of any suitable character, at the forward end thereof. It will be understood that this rotary head may be driven by an electric motor mounted on the body-frame, or by any other suitable means. A conveyer D receives thedirt from the rotary head and discharges it at the rear end of. the machine. A cylindric shield E is pushed forward within the tunnel, to cover the machine, and serves to prevent the dirt from caving in and falling on the excavator. The caterpillar B is, of course, necessarily so narrow that the machine would be liable to tilt to either side and tip over while traveling on the surface of the ground. But the said traction device must be narrow, inasmuch as it must travel along the center of the bottom of the tunnel, which latter is round in cross-section, whereby the width of anything traveling on the bottom of the tunnel is limited by the curvature of the tunnel.

The means for keeping the machine from tipping oversidewise while traveling on the surface of the ground outside the tunnel, and for holding the machine upright within the tunnel, are as follows: Wheels F are arranged at the front end of the machine, and similar wheels F are provided at the rear end thereof, and as these wheels are mounted and arranged in the same manner at both ends of the machine, a description of those at the rear will be sufficient. The wheels F are mounted on axles f which are carried by the lower ends of the bail-shaped members 1, these members being bolted at their upper ends to the swinging arms 2, and the latter being pivoted at 3 to the outer ends of the brackets 4: which are rigidly secured to the sides of the body-frame. Bracket-arms 5 'are secured to said bodyframe and arranged to extend upwardly and I outwardly a distance above the brackets 4,

and links 6 are interposed between the upper ends of these arms 5 and the outer ends of the wheels F are shown in Fig. 4, so that these wheels then bear against the top or upper portion of the tunnel, or near the top or roof'of the tunnel, thus steadying the machine and resisting the torque of the rotary head. In Fi 4, the said rear wheels F are shown in this raised position, but this is not done until the said rear wheels are close to the mouth of the tunnel. The" rais- 7 ing of the wheels is accomplished by removing the links 6, and they are then held in this elevated position by connecting together the arms 2 of opposite wheels by means of a short link 8, whereby the said wheels are maintained in elevated positions while the machine is within the tunnel.

During this time, the central flanges or ribs 7 of the wheels help to keep the machine from being twisted over to one side by the torque of the rotary cutter head. In Fig. 1, the front wheels are shown in raised position, as the machine has only partially. entered the bank into which the tunnel is being driven, and the rear wheels are still down upon the surface of the ground. In Fig. 2, however, all four wheels are shown in raised position, as here. the machine-is shown entirely within the tunnel.

'It will be readily understood that any suitable means can be employed for enabling the driver or attendant to 'fully control the machine, so that it will be driven slowly forward/by the caterpillar B during the rotation of the rotary boring head C, so that the-tunneling operation will progress as the machine moves slowly forward.

In Fig. 5, the buckets G are suitably. secured to the rotary boring head C, and are of such form and character that they cut away the dirt and carry the looseor excavated dirt upward to the desired point of discharge over the hopper H which is above the adjacent end of the conveyer D, which latter, as previously stated, extends longitudinally of the machine and has its rear end in position to discharge the dirt in the desired manner. The cleaner I is preferably inverted-U-shaped in form, so that the rounded upper end or arch portion 2' there of will cut edgewise into the load as the bucket moves along. The lower ends of the side portions of this cleaner are pivoted at J upon any suitable stationary portion of the machine, so that the cleaner swings about a horizontal axis which is parallel with the axis of the rotary boring head C, in a manner that will be readily understood. The cleaner has an arm K which is rigid therewith, and which is provided with a longitudinal slot is, this slot extending practically for the full length of said arm. A lever L is pivoted at 1 upon any suitable portion of the machine, and has one end thereof provided with a transverse portion M for engaging said slot is, so that this portion is free to move back and forth in said slot. The other end portion N of said lever L is disposed in the path of the tappets O which are mounted on the ring or rotary or annular head C,there being one tappet for each bucket, arranged substantially in the manner shown in Fig. 5. The tappet of one bucket strikes the lever portion N at about the time that the curved portion 11 enters the next bucket. The movement' of the rotary head C continuing, in the direction indicated by the arrow, the lever L and the cleaner I, together with the arm K, are gradually forced into the positions shown in dotted lines, so that the bucket may pass the cleaner. In this way the load in each bucket is automatically dislodged or extracted therefrom by the cleaner I, and while this cleaner is directly in the path of the bucket, still the arrangement is such that the cleaner is completely out of the path of the bucket by the time the rear edge of the latter passes over the end of the cleaner. In this way, the cleaner does not move with the bucket, but in reality moves in the opposite direction, and downward sufliciently to carry it below the oncoming bucket. This operation is repeated for each bucket, it will be understood, and thus-the buckets are caused to periodically discharge their loads upon the conveyer H, and the latter thenrconveys the dirt to the rear end of the machine.

The spring P is arranged for compression between the stationary portion p, which is supportedby any adjacent part of the frame of the machine, and the lower portion Q which is secured to the lower end of the rod 9, the latter having its upper end fastened to the lower edge of the lever L in any suitable manner'. In this way, the spring P is compressed when the lever L and the cleaner I are forced into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and the spring then re lamest turns the said lever and cleaner to normal position as soon as the portion N of said lever is disengaged by the tappet.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is 1- 1. In an excavator, a body, a boring head in front of said body, traction means to propel the body forward, wheels engaging the ground-to keep the body upright, and elements to 'hold said wheels in elevated positions against the inner surface of the excavation after the machine enters the ground. I 2. In an excavator, a body, a boring head in front of said body, traction means to propel the body forward, wheels engaging the ground to keep the body upright, and elements to hold said wheels in elevated positions against the inner surface of the excavation after the machine enters the ground, said means being arranged to travel at the center of the bottom of the excavation, said wheels being arranged at opposite sides of said center line of travel, at front and rear of the body, and so that the front wheels can be raised while the rear wheels are still on the ground outside the tunnel.

3. In an excavator, a body, a boring head in front of said body, traction means to pro pel the body forward, wheels engaging the ground at opposite sides of the excavator to keep the body upright. and elements to hold said wheels in elevated positions against the inner surface of the excavator after the machine enters the ground, said elementsserving to hold the wheels above the body and against the top of the excavator, andsaid means being disposed under said body and in the middle of the space between the wheels of one side and those of the other side.

4. In. an excavator, a series of traveling buckets for carrying the excavated dirt-upward to the desired point of discharge, a pivoted cleaner arranged in the path of the buckets, mechanism for moving said cleaner about its pivot, means traveling with said buckets to operate said mechanism and thereby cause said .cleaner to move forward into the oncoming bucket and-then out of the path thereof, each time a bucket encounters said cleaner, and a device for operating said mechanism to restore the cleaner to normal position.

, 5. In an excavator, a series of traveling buckets for carrying the-excavated dirt upward to the desired point of discharge, a pivoted cleaner arranged in the path of the buckets, mechanism for moving said cleaner about its pivot, means traveling with said buckets to operate said mechanism and thereby cause said cleaner to move forward into the oncoming bucket and then out of the path thereof, each time a bucket encounters said cleaner, and a device for operating said mechanism to restore the cleaner ing an arm rigid with said cleaner and pro-' vided with a longitudinal slot and a pivoted lever engaging said slot at one end and having its other end disposed in position by said means.

6. In an excavator, a series of traveling buckets for carrying the excavated dirt upward to the desired point of discharge, a pivoted cleaner arranged in the path of the buckets, mechanism for moving said cleaner about its pivot, means traveling with said buckets to operate said mechanism and thereby cause said cleaner to move forward into the oncoming bucket and then out of the path thereof, each time'a bucket encounters said cleaner, and a device for operating said mechanism to restore the cleaner to normal posit-ion, said buckets being mounted to travel upward and over said cleaner and then downward, and said cleaner being arranged to enter the buckets at the highest point in the path of travel thereof.

7. In an excavator, a body, a boring head in front of said body, traction means to propel the body forward, wheels engaging the ground to keep the body upright, and elements to hold said wheels in elevated positions against the innersurface of the excavation after the machine enters the ground, said elements comprising arms pivoted on the sides of the body, means to mount the wheels on said arms, and means to hold said arms in elevated positions.

' 8. In an excavator, a body, a boring head in front of said body, traction means to propel the body forward, wheels engaging the ground to keep the body upright, and elements to hold said wheels in elevated positions against the inner surface of the excavation after the machine enters the ground, said elements comprising arms pivoted on the sides of the body, means to mount the wheels on said arms, and means to hold said arms in elevated positions, said elements comprising four arms pivoted on the sides of the body, adapted to swing upward to support the wheels in elevated positions, and said body having braces to hold said arms in lowered positions when said wheels are on the ground.

9. In an excavator, a body, a boring head in front of said body, traction means to propel the body forward, wheels engaging the ground to keep the body upright, and elements to hold said wheels in elevated positions against the inner surface of the excavation after the machine enters the ground, said elements comprising arms pivoted on the sides of the body, means to mount the wheels on said arms, and means to hold said arms in elevated positions, said elements supporting said wheels to rotate about axes which are inclined toward the excavator.

10. In an excavator, a body, a boring head in front of said body, traction means to propel the body forward, Wheels engaging the ground to keep the body upright, and elements to hold said Wheels in elevated positions against the inner surface of the excavation after the machine enters the ground, said elements comprising arms pivoted on the sides of the body, means to mount the wheels on said arms, and means to hold said arms in elevated positions, and

tion.

11. In an excavator, a series of traveling buckets for carrying the excavated dirt upward to the desired point of discharge, a pivoted cleaner arranged in the path of the buckets, mechanism, for moving said cleaner about its pivot, means traveling with said buckets to operate said mechanism and thereby cause said cleaner to move forward into the oncoming bucket and then out of the path thereof, each time a bucket encounters said cleaner, and a device for operating said mechanism to restore the cleaner to normal position, said means including a series of tappets, one for each bucket, disposed! in a circle inside of the path of the buckets.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 5th day of February 1916.

- JAMES C. FRENCH. 

